Leadership Grants Program for Dance Distinguishes Exemplary Organizations and Strengthens Their Capacity to Achieve Long-Term GoalsThe Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) announced today the 19 outstanding dance companies and presenters receiving grants, totaling $8,025,000, through the Leadership Grants Program for Dance. This all-new initiative supports the self-defined, long-term goals of organizations that have demonstrated excellence in and sustained commitment to the field of dance.

Grantees distinguished themselves by the quality of their choreography, the impact of their touring on communities across the country, and the successful expansion of their own initiatives and educational programming. DDCF is now providing each organization with flexible funds that encourage them to build upon the unique courses they have already charted and to continue to pursue their vision for the long term. This new support will enable grantees to realize their plans to increase organizational capacity, execute new artistic initiatives, strengthen data and evaluation systems, or other strategies that they have determined will best lead them to continued success.

Ben Cameron, program director for the arts at DDCF, said, “These grants support dance companies and dance presenters that have been leaders, both artistically and organizationally, thinking creatively about reaching audiences in exciting new ways. We are honored to support their work with these flexible grants, designed to help them achieve their self-defined, long-term goals.”

The 19 organizations are:

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (New York, NY), with a grant of $500,000

Alonzo King LINES Ballet (San Francisco, CA), with a grant of $500,000

AXIS Dance Company (Oakland, CA), with a grant of $200,000

Ballet Hispanico (New York, NY), with a grant of $500,000

Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) (Brooklyn, NY), with a grant of $500,000

Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, A Dance Company (Brooklyn, NY), with a grant of $200,000

Danspace Project, Inc. (New York, NY), with a grant of $200,000

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Chicago, IL), with a grant of $500,000

Jacob’s Pillow Dance (Becket, MA), with a grant of $500,000

The Joyce Theater (New York, NY), with a grant of $500,000

Margaret Jenkins Dance Company (San Francisco, CA), with a grant of $200,000

Mark Morris Dance Group (Brooklyn, NY), with a grant of $1,000,000

ODC (San Francisco, CA), with a grant of $500,000

Stephen Petronio Company (New York, NY), with a grant of $200,000

Ragamala Dance Company (Minneapolis, MN), with a grant of $200,000

STREB (Brooklyn, NY), with a grant of $400,000

Paul Taylor Dance Company (New York, NY), with a grant of $500,000

Urban Bush Women (Brooklyn, NY), with a grant of $200,000

White Bird (Portland, OR), with a grant of $200,000

The Leadership Grants Program for Dance responds to the ongoing and dynamic evolution of the dance field in which many nationally celebrated companies may face future challenges or changes. The initiative acknowledges the various ways grantees may choose to embrace the years ahead, whether through artistic and/or organizational means. (Potential uses of the grant exclude physical capital investments and bricks-and-mortar projects.) DDCF has offered small organizations $200,000, mid-sized organizations $400,000 and large organizations $500,000 in grants that span up to four years. A single grant of $1 million goes to the Mark Morris Dance Group in recognition not only of the company but of its extensive efforts in education and outreach, including its dance program for Parkinson’s disease patients. DDCF has also offered additional planning grants, ranging from $25,000-50,000 each, to provide several organizations with long-term strategic planning assistance.

Author

I am a performer, historian, consultant and dance writer. I am a faculty member at Hunter College, Sarah Lawrence College (Guest), Empire State College's online program Center for Distance Learning. I am also a former faculty member of The Ailey School and the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University dance major program, Kean University and The Joffrey Ballet School's Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program. I write on dance for The Amsterdam News, Dance Magazine and various publications. Click below to read more about me at my home page - "About Me."